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Focaccia Bread Recipe – Great for All Occasions…In the Face!
Recipe by Paggi Pazzo

A great recipe my mother made quite frequently growing up was Focaccia, a white pizza like bread that had a little seasoning and always left you coming back for more. Whether it was a nice complimentary side dish to dinner or something we enjoyed as a snack, Focaccia is one item I rarely passed up when it presented itself (not that it just came around unannounced and snuck up on me or something…). Today I’m sharing my Roman style Focaccia bread recipe that my mother has shared with me and I think you will find it sooooo good, you’ll wanna shove that focaccia in your (the) face! Or simply just eat it…

Putting together some focaccia with finely chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil and a sprinkle of Reggiano Parmigiano from Paggi Pazzo!

To start, I buy my dough from a specialty market that makes their dough fresh everyday without any unhealthy oils and ingredients. Now if you have the time, feel free to make your own dough (show off!) but those of you like myself who don’t, here’s how we begin our focaccia recipe. I take a handful of flour and cover both sides of the dough, kneading and prodding to stretch it out. Unlike pizza, I don’t use a dough-roller for the focaccia and instead, poke at the dough all around with both index fingers to create an indented mountainous appearance (how picturesque!). Continue to poke and stretch it out until you have a decent size round shape and then place on a pizza stone or cooking sheet. I then add olive oil all around the focaccia and add a little bit of finely chopped garlic and fresh rosemary, pinch of salt and pepper, then a sprinkle of grated Reggiano Parmigiano. That’s all there is to it my friends! That simple! Set the oven to 425 degrees and it let it bake for about 20 minutes or until the focaccia turns a golden brown and then POW! Focaccia heaven.

Recipes and types of focaccia vary from region to region in Italy. The one my mother has taught me is more of a Roman take on focaccia but also common in places like Liguria, while in areas of the south it is not uncommon to find focaccia topped with tomatoes and olives. I sometimes like to make panini with the focaccia by slicing it in half and stuffing with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella and/or soppressata with fresh mozzarella. It’s a reeeeeeeeally good panino, trust me! I use to make them all the time during my college days when I worked at Tutto Italiano, a little Italian specialty store. Try one and you’ll be so busy attacking that focaccia panino that you won’t have any time for TV, even if shark week is on! Now I know some may ask, what’s the difference between focaccia and pizza bianca? And the answer? I have no clue…. Just kidding… The pizza bianca in Rome is very similar to the focaccia with the difference being that the pizza bianca includes toppings while the focaccia is as is but can also be stuffed with deliciousness. Whatever you decide to do with your Focaccia, I bet it will be destined for face stuffing – Buon Appetito!